Nick
,
7

Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes – from caped crusaders protecting cities to children like seven-year-old Nick, who is fearlessly battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

When seven-year-old Nick awoke on Friday, November 14, he was a boy with a love of superheros. But, by 1 p.m. that changed. With a knock on the door, this ordinary boy underwent a transformation of colossal proportions and embarked upon the ultimate superhero adventure. No longer was he a second-grader battling leukemia. He was transformed into a superhero character created especially for him: Red Lightning.

Seattle needs you Red Lightning!

Ushered quickly and quietly into a secret room at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, Nick was briefed about the infamous Bobby Poppins and his sidekick, Kitty Catch. Poppins was a B-list pop star was plotting to go back in time so he could steal the music of Seattle icons Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and others. While he swiped the music, Catch was burglarizing the EMP Museum, taking musical relics.

With the music gone and any reminder of these musicians on display, Poppins and Catch would change the landscape of music and become the biggest singing sensations in the world. The city of Seattle needed Red Lightning to catch these two dastardly villains and save Seattle from the fate of pop music.

An epic wish

With his older brother, Cooper, by his side as his superhero cohort – The Dragon – the two went on an incredible adventure they will never forget. “My favorite part of all of this has been seeing Nick and his brother get so excited about everything,” said Stephanie. “Cooper is such an amazing big brother to Nick. It’s so amazing that Cooper gets to be a part of Nick’s day since this has affected him too.”

Red Lightning and The Dragon used several high-tech superhero gadgets – including a “truth pen” that forced people to truthfully answer any question he had written down and a watch to give him time travel powers – to help them solve the mystery.

They went from Zillow’s HQ to Starbucks to the Underground Tour where he used his spy noise spheres to trap the villains. It was on to the Monorail from there to the EMP Museum to return the Seattle sound and relics. Hundreds of onlookers and supporters cheered for our newest superhero, Red Lightning, while Mayor Ed Murray congratulated him on this incredible feat.

Finding the superhero within

Wishes are an important part of patient care and the treatment protocol. They give these children something to look forward to during very difficult days and they provide their families with a sense of normalcy often absent during diagnosis and treatment. Wishes provide strength. And, their impact is long lasting. Nick’s mom, Stephanie, agrees. “Nick will remember this day for a long time. He has been through so much that no child should ever have to go though. He deserves to have all the positive attention he can get.”

You can be a hero, too!

All wish kids are our heroes. In fact, right now there are about 400 children waiting for their turn to experience the transformational power of a wish. Show your superhero powers and make a donation today of cash, frequent flier miles or become a volunteer so more kids like Nick can realize their dreams.